Matís is currently running a preliminary project on enzyme treatment of the liver before canning in collaboration with the canning factory Ice-W ehf in Grindavík. The aim of the project is to increase the profitability of canning of liver by lowering production costs and increasing the quality of products.
This will be achieved by developing and testing technology that removes membranes and ringworms on the surface of the liver with enzymes. Preliminary results are promising.
Most people who have worked in fish processing know that fish carry parasites and the best known of these are ringworms, which is a collective name for nematodes (Nematoda) in fish. They are fishing in Icelandic waters and are a problem for the fish processing industry, because they need to be cleaned of fillets. Such fish fall in price due to defects caused by cleaning and fillet utilization decreases. Ringworms also cause damage to markets, which are less sensitive to ringworms. A few years ago, it was estimated that the cost of deworming 200,000 tonnes of cod was ISK 650 million. kr.
As previously stated, the first results of the project, which is funded by the Rannís Technology Development Fund, are promising, as the number of ringworms in the liver has been reduced by 80%, and the membrane has been significantly softened. The purpose of removing or softening the membrane surrounding the liver is to provide a better and more even dose in cans and increase utilization, as well as the resulting optimization of the processing process.
It is hoped that this method will significantly increase the efficiency of this process. An application has been made for continued funding to work further on this issue.